Eichel
by Thirteen Little Dreams
Summary: Life in the sleepy town of Eichel is slow, uneventful, and repetitive, and yet, somehow, I'm glad to be living here.
1. First

Disclaimer: _I own nothing but the ideas._

_Note: I'm not rec__opying that on any other chapters. Just know that I **do not** own anything, 'kay? ...Although I'm pretty sure I own my OCs. I do, right?_

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><p>As the old pair of worn out sneakers set themselves firmly on the platform, hands came up and fiddled with the band, ensuring that it was quite tightly in place.<p>

Adjusting her hat slightly, her azure eyes took in the sights that were soon to be home.

And those were Marchen's first moments in Eichel, nervous beyond all possible belief and frozen stiff even after the trails of dust the bus had left behind had settled peacefully on the cobblestone.

And there she stood, unknowing of her next course of action, when suddenly it hit her. She fished the map the friendly cat had handed to her on the bus out of her pocket, studying it carefully, before neatly folding it back in.

Taking a deep breath, she took her first step off the platform and her first step into her new life.

This was it.

She was home.

* * *

><p><em>AN: While my town isn't really called Eichel (I should have thought of it, though, since now I really want to rename my town that), most of what happens here is basically what happens in my ACCF file. It's a diary of sorts following my character, Marchen. Slight changes, added details, the works, but it's still quite basically what my neighbors and I did. Even so, I hope you enjoy~_

_P.S. I started on the 26th, so I've got work to do to catch up. Eventually, though, I hope that this can be a daily thing. :)_


	2. Town Hall

Wringing the map in her hands, Marchen anxiously bit her lip as she stared up at the old majestic building before her. She felt so unworthy of even touching the beautiful knob of the front door.

Timidly, she stood in front of Town Hall, unsure if she should merely brave it out or wait a bit longer.

Rover had mentioned something about the folks in town hall being there to help when help was needed but...

Deciding there was no point in merely staring at the ornate designs embedded within the metal, she took a deep breath, reached for the knob, and...

"Excuse me," a gruff voice huffed. Startled, Marchen pulled back away from the door, holding her hand as if she'd been scorched, staring at the voice's owner with wide eyes.

Likewise, the other seemed rather surprised about what he saw.

There, clad in a black dress with a purple ribbon tie and donning a witch's hat, stood Jason. He nearly leapt back in fear at the sight of the white hockey mask with sapphire eyes slightly bulging out from behind.

Was this it? Was this punishment for ruining Midge's _Friday the 13th_?

The fact that this being was obviously female failed to register within Elvis's mind. I mean, seriously! Look at those blue eyes! There's no time to think that this tiny girl twiddling her fingers could ever be plotting anything but-

Wait...

Blue? Girl? Twiddle?

Taking a closer look at this person, he slowly began to realize that there was no way such a timid creature could ever be that psycho.

And anyway, the design of the mask was different. The holes under the eyes were slightly off center, making it look as if she were crying.

He felt a wave of relief crash through him as his fears ebbed away.

...Although it _would_ make him feel better if she'd stop eyeing him as if he was going to eat her. Seriously. He shopped for his meat like everybody else.

Sighing heavily, he looked her in the eye (making her flinch back even more) and asked politely, "May I go in?"

It took a little before that look dissolved into mild confusion, but when it did, Elvis felt a headache forming.

All he wanted to do was send some letters! Was that so bad?

"You were going in," he explained irately. "May I go through first?"

A second passed before the girl nodded vigorously, moving to open the door for him.

He caught her wrist in his paw before she could even touch the surface, then proceeded opened the door for her.

She looked up at him in surprise, her eyes widening again. He merely huffed.

"Gentleman's job," he said. He ushered her inside then went up to the mail counter where Pelly was already starting to place herself.

On the other hand, Marchen's eyes were trained on the lion in completely and utter confusion.

What... just happened?

She was going to take a leap of faith when she saw the artwork when she ran into a lion who seemed scared of _her _and just wanted in to the Hall and then she was inside and huh?

As she sorted it out in her head, the lion approached her. She moved out of its way, looking down at the ground to avoid eye contact.

Elvis smirked slightly.

"Don't get eaten in this town," he said as he walked out the door, knowing without even seeing the alarmed look on her face as the door shut behind him.

Wait?

Eaten?

She was going to get eaten?

"Well, I don't think there's anyone with a heart that could touch you," a sweet voice rang from behind her. She turned around and a cute pelican in a dress smiled cheerfully at her. She beckoned for the other girl to get closer. Marchen stood where she was warily, beforemoving slowly to the counter. "You're the new girl that just moved her, right?" she asked warmly.

The oddly dressed girl nodded.

"I see!" she smiled, clapping her wings together. "Welcome to Eichel! My name's Pelly, and I work here at Town Hall. Well! No need to dillydally! Shall we take a look at where you'll be living?"

She dug around some drawers before pulling up a map of the town and a marker. "All available houses in Eichel are the same size and price. We currently have four vacant houses left!" She then went on to circle four locations on the map. Two were close to other houses and each other, and looked perfect for socializing, while a single house by the beach looked perfect for showing off.

But what Marchen wanted was not a life that others could envy, and even though she did yearn a social life, she needed to take baby steps.

A single house, isolated on the lesser half of the town, on the same side of the river as the Hall and only two other houses, away from the Museum, Shop, and Tailor, tucked neatly into the crook of a cliff right next to a mini waterfall was the one that the girl felt was to be hers.

Even though she'd yet to see it in person, Marchen felt as if this house was made just for her.

Pelly apparently caught the twinkle in her eye, because she smiled softly and said, "Let me just get the paperwork started for you, okay? In the meantime, why don't you follow your map and go check out a place that you like?"

The girl nodded then bowed in thanks, then headed out the door.

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><p>[Timeline]<em> Same day as last chapter<em>

[Actual game play]_ Friday, August 26th, 2011_

_Explanations:_

[Explanations] _An extra section where I tell you what translated from my game and other random bits of info not really necessary to enjoy this story~_

[Marchen's weird outfit] _I saw the witch's outfit at GracieGrace and decided to get it~ I got it on my first day and haven't taken it off yet, so it's as if I were wearing it from the beginning. Besides, living on your own like she is, would she really spend 12K bells on clothes when her mortgage is only a bit more than that? She has to be smart about her money... As for the hockey mask, same explanation as the witch's clothes, though the reason I don't take it off is different._

[Neighbors]_ Obviously, going to be based on my actual neighbors. (Elvis [lion] and Midge [bird] do get along surprisingly well.) Same goes for the layout of this neighborhood_

[Blue eyes]_ I don't know what color Jason's eyes are really, but my friend says black, so I'm guessing that his eyes aren't blue._

[Why blue?]_ http:/ accf . wikispaces . com / Face + Guides  
>I got the AAA face for girls. <em>


	3. House

It was beautiful.

The small house with a red roof seemed to sparkle in Marchen's eyes as she approached it. It wasn't that far a walk from Town Hall, just a mere walk down the hill, and yet, surrounded by trees and flowers with the waterfall nearby, only a nearby house reminded her of the fact that yes, she was still in the same world.

Marchen carefully pulled the door open and was met with a log cabin like feel with wallpaper that truly looked as if logs and an opulent rug that seemed to make the place even cozier. An old cassette player sat lonesomely in a corner while a small cardboard box with a candle and holder on top rested opposite to it.

Smiling slightly behind her mask, Marchen lit the candle as to see the place better. As the flame came to life the light spread out across the room, illuminating the dusty emptiness.

Nothing a little cleaning wouldn't fix, she decided.

She decided to head back to the Hall as so to tell Pelly which house was hers.

As soon as Marchen opened the door again, though, she almost immediately shut it if not for the paw that held on tightly to the door, trying to keep the door from closing completely.

"Wait, Marchen!" this new voice rang out. "I'm here about finalizing your house documents!"

She stopped tugging on the front door in surprise that the ther knew her name. Unfortunately, the poor racoon had pulled with all his strength and flew backwards onto his rump. Embarrassed, the girl helped him back onto his feet, refusing to meet his eyes.

Tom Nook smiled.

"It's okay, Rover told me about you," he said. "Welcome to Eichel! My name is Tom Nook, and I run a shop here in town. I look forward to your patronage there, hm?"

She nodded. A couple seconds passed before Nook added, "So how was the house, hm? You are liking it very much, aren't you?" She nodded again, a bit more energetically. It was wonderful in every which way she could think of.

"Good, good," he said, business smile on. "So, you will be buying this house, yes?"

Another nod, this one a bit more hopeful.

"Well, then, that settles it!" he said. "From now on, this is your house, Marchen. Ah, and think of that stereo as a moving in gift from Tom, hm?"

The girl bowed gratefully, not noticing the salesman's mumbles of not being able to sell the old thing anyway.

"Ah, and have you seen the attic? There's a bed up there, so make sure to use it, alright? Also, there's a delicate issue of payment..."

Ah, reality, why must you be so cruel?

Marchen could feel herself paling as the very thought of money crossed her mind. She'd used the last of it in her effort to even _reach_ Eichel. What was she going to do if she couldn't stay? Her mind blanked out as Nook listed all the costs she'd have to pay to keep this precious house.

"..al is 19,800 bells!" he finished cheerily.

Unfortunately, the masked girl in front of him seemed to be having a mini heart attack.

"Ah, don't worry about paying it all off at once. You can pay it all off at your own pace."

He could see her slowly relax a bit.

"But..." She tensed up again. "...this is a business for me, so keep in mind that I'd like you to pay it off sometime, okay?"

She nodded quite panickedly, Nook smilng slightly at the display until another thought crossed his mind.

"That said, I have a question for you, Marchen." She looked up at him. "How do you plan to make a living here?"

And quite suddenly, the floor was the most interesting thing in the world.

"I see, then... How about working part-time at my shop, hm? That way you can learn the in's and out's of making money, hm?"

Suddenly he found his paws help by her tiny hands, shaking them up and down in wordless thanks.

"Very good, then it's decided. Well I can't leave my shop unattended forever, so let's get down to brass tacks. First off, why don't you introduce yourself to everybody in town? Oh! And make especially sure to introduce yourself to the mayor, hm? He should be in Town Hall, so don't forget!"

He looked over at the small girl twiddling her fingers.

"I told you previously that Rover had told me about you, yes?"

She nodded.

"He also told me why you moved here."

There was a slight hesitation before her eyes lifted off the floor. Reluctantly, she looked him, understanding what the racoon was trying to say. Biting her lip, she nodded in confirmation.

"Very good. I'll get some work ready, so come by the shop later, okay?"

Marchen nodded then waved goodbye as the clerk headed back to his shop. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself, eyeing the only other house nearby where she (now, she added giddily) lived.

She walked up to the door. Taking one more deep breath, she forced her hand to knock softly on the door.

She waited a bit before she realized that there was no response. She tried again only for the results to repeat themselves.

Maybe they weren't home?

Giving up, Marchen turned around only to run into the lion from the Hall, staring at her in disbelief.

"What are you doing here?"

She panicked. What was she supposed to say? In a flash of inspiration, she pointed towards her new house.

The lion's jaw merely dropped.

"You've got to be kidding me."

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><p>[Timeline]<em> Same day as last chapter<em>

[Actual game play]_ Friday, August 26th, 2011_

_Explanations:_

[Opulent Rug] _Opulent means fancy, but the actual Opulent Rug in the game is pretty homey/plain. Still, for the people who actual play, I thought that it'd be less confusing._

[Stereo] _I'm pretty sure it was a cassette player, but I could be wrong._

[Brass Tacks] _I have idea what this means, but that's what he says, so..._

[Same Day as last chapter] _The first things are the things that influence you the most. So even though I am really way behind right now, eventually I'll catch up._


	4. Neighbors

Marchen walked across the stone bridge red faced.

Of course her first time meeting her neighbor just had to go over _so well_.

She walked forward, not wanting to remember how badly she'd messed up. She was just happy that he happened to be a bit good-natured, laughed heartily and patted her on the back, introduced himself as, "Elvis, the big-cat 'round town," then _picked her up and moved her out of the way_. Granted, she was blocking the entrance, but she would have moved quite happiily as opposed to being twice as high as she was used to being and set aside like a doll.

As she crossed the river, she noticed that this side's beach was just about a quarter of what it was on hers.

Huh. Guess the other side had quite the view compared to this one.

The town, she quickly learned, was divided into four parts due to a river splitting it one way and a cliff splitting it the other.

Looking at the map, the section where Town Hall was was at the northeastern corner, right next to only one resident's house and dubbed after the building she recognized it for. It was a little smaller than the other two inhabited points.

Marchen and Elvis lived to their south in what she called Little Fantasy for the sheer beauty of it, the size of it just a little smaller than the main part.

Mini Beach, as she was now calling it, lay in the southwest corner, was the smallest region of the four, and had one vacant house, the one that overlooked the beach.

Up a slope due north was the main and biggest part of town that she called the Social Blossom (due to the insane amount of flowers sprouting everywhere). Here, the busline, tailor, museum, shop, the other two empty houses, and most of the residents lived.

And that was Marchen's destination as she walked up the hill.

Nervously, she knocked on this next house's door, not quite knowing what to expect.

This time, the door swung open, hitting her in the face. An orange dog that looked more like a stuffed toy quickly rushed to her side.

"Oh! My bad, dawg!" he said. "You okay?"

Marchen nodded slowly, trying to will the pain away. Good thing she was wearing a hockey mask.

"Really? That's great!" he sighed in relief. "The name's Biskit and if you're looking for an sweet time, you're in the right place, dawg! Nice to meet you!"

Her eyes smiled, and she reached out and offered her hand, which the other took and shook energetically.

"If you ever need any help, feel free to call me, okay, dawg?"

She nodded quite cheerily, before waving goodbye and moving towards the next house. On her way there, she noticed that a rabbit with a watering can had started to walk up to her.

Heart racing slightly, she turned to face her.

"Excuse but... are you that new girl, li'l hare?" the bunny smiled. Marchen nodded her head. The other girl's smile grew even bigger. "I thought so! My name's Pippy! It's so nice to meet you!"

As with Biskit, Marchen also offered up her hand. Pippy took it delightedly and said quite basically what Biskit had said about needing favors. The two waved goodbye and the couple went their seperate ways, Pippy back her home, and Marchen to meet her next neighbor.

In the back of her head, she was quite pleased with herself. Even without saying a word and dressed as oddly as she was, two out of three neighbors seemed to be okay with her. In fact, with how much Pippy talked, she thought that it didn't matter if she ever said a word.

Of course, meeting Baabara made her good mood about face.

"Hm? What's this? Why would a new person come walking up to me? Hmmm? Are you... trying to be nice? Are you introducing yourself?"

Despite the lack of malice behind those words, somehow, Marchen felt as if she were doing something terrible, and felt herselftrying to blink back tears.

"I rather like you," the sheep baa'ed after a few moments of silence. "Maybe I just might take you under my wing. Of course, we'd have to give you a total makeover, dahling, because your outfit's a mess..."

She started to draw circles on the floor with her foot, fidgeting anxiously and wanting nothing more than to get away from this woman right now.

"Well, I'm rather busy, so if you'd kindly leave for the moment..."

Opportunity seized. She was out of there as soon as she could be.

Rod was the next neighbor she met with.

The energetic mouse ran right up to her and took her hand in his paw, grinning the entire time.

"Heya! I was expecting a new face, and then I see yours!" he laughed. Well, here's another someone who didn't mind the mask too much. "Name's Rod, the ace of all aces, ace! Nice to meet you! If you ever want an awesome time, look me up, 'kay, ace?"

He looked at her expectantly as she bobbed her head. He just kept right on staring even though she stopped a while back, and suddenly Marchen felt herself rather self conscious. She began to squirm under Rod's gaze.

"You don't talk much, do you, ace?"

The girl shook her head, feeling uncomfortable, drilling holes in the ground with her eyes.

Suddenly, she felt her hat lift up and a paw petting her head. She looked up in surprise, Rod grinning brightly before gingerly replacing her hat. He left with only a wave and a smile, then scampered off, leaving Marchen simply standing where she was.

Huh.

Odd.

Fighting off her blush, she headed back towards Town Hall. Just before she went to in meet the mayor (_Was she ready? Would she be okay?_), checked her map one more time. And there, in the corner of the Town Hall Area, was one more lone house just south of where she stood.

Okay, there first.

She walked along the cobblestone to a nice house, and knocked on the door softly.

And when it opened, she blanched.

Pink.

Bright, neon pink.

Not only was the furniture and walls that horrible color, but so was it's resident.

The small (_pink_) bird smiled sweetly, oblivious to the other's thoughts.

"Yes, tweedledee?"

Grateful for the mask, Marchen bit back her surprise and forced a shaky hand out, which the other stared at confusedly.

"Oh!" she said after a few moments. "You must be the new girl! Nice to meet you, tweedledee! My name is Midge. Call me if you need anything, okay?"

She merely nodded as Midge took her hand in wing and turned tail the moment she could, hearing the other chirp about "how cute she is when she's shy."

She ran back to the Hall and hurried herself inside, leaning against the door and breathing heavily. She stared at her hand as if she'd grown an extra finger.

"Excuse me, Marchen? Are you alright?"

Her snapped up to meet Pelly's worried gaze. Quickly, she nodded.

It was about then that she noticed the old tortoise with a cane standing in front of the mail half of the counter.

As she approached him, he suddenly shouted out, "You! Whippersnapper! Who are you? And while I'm asking questions, what is your favorite animal?"

Not knowing quite what to do, the girl bit her lip, thinking of a way to answer.

The old man grew impatient, however, and huffed. "Whippersnappers!" he shouted. "Always disrespecting their elders! Why, when I was your age, I had to... um... had to... Ah, what were we talking about again?"

"Um, Mr. Mayor... That's our newest resident, Marchen," Pelly explained patiently.

"...What's that? Ah... come to think of it, I did hear something like that... Or did I? Who can remember with all these newfangled things going on?"

The pelican cleared her throat loudly, causing something to click in the elder's head.

"Ah, yes! I am the Mayor of Eichel, Tortimer! Quite normally I'll be here in Town Hall working, but during events and such, I'll be out in the square, waiting. Yes, that's right, waiting and WATCHING."

Tortimer wheezed a laugh. Marchen bowed in respect before taking her leave.

As she left Town Hall, she noticed for the first time that the setting sun had dyed the already beautiful town magnificent shades of red with slight hints of a refreshing orange.

The people were odd, but somehow, she could sense that they were all good people.

Yes, she was going to love living here.

Marchen smiled behind her hockey mask as she made her way back to Social Blossom.

Next on the agenda: Working for Tom Nook.

* * *

><p>[Timeline]<em> Same day as last chapter<em>

[Actual game play]_ Friday, August 26th, 2011_

_Explanations:_

[Geography of the town] _There are two reasons for writing this. 1) It'll make life easier if you've some idea of the basic layout. 2) I'm terrible at describing places and need some practice._

[Naming place] _However, my nicknaming places is really just something I do. :)_

[Marchen's reaction to Midge] _I was **really** not expecting so much pink to gather together in one compact place. *shivers* I can't stand the color, and despite the fact that she really quite nice, I generally avoid Midge._


	5. Work

Marchen stood in front of the decrepit shop with a worn sign reading, "**Nook's Cranny**" sprawled in messy, faded marker, pressed up against the brown cliff as if it wanted to disappear.

Somehow, the image of the clerk she met in front of her house didn't seem to match the image of this shop.

She allowed herself a few snickers before she was reminded that she was here to _work._

It didn't seem so funny anymore.

Sighing, she willed herself to open the door, and was met by the owner himself.

"So, you've said hello to everyone in town, yes?" Nook asked. He was met by her usual nodding. "Very good! Try to remember everyone's names and faces. It should help you to adjust to this new town. So... you're just about ready to start your exciting part-time job, yes?"

This time, her nod was hesitant. That detail went unnoticed, however, as Nook handed her a teal shirt with a leaf in the front and brown pants. "Yes, yes, very good. The first thing I want you to do is change into your work clothes. Strictly speaking, I mean the uniform worn by my employees."

Nodding, Marchen headed for the door, only to be stopped by Nook.

"Where are you going, hm?"

She held up the clothes in response.

"Can't you just change here?" the racoon asked.

The girl blushed furiously (not that you could tell with that mask on) and shook her head. Sighing, Nook let her go home to change.

At home, as she changed into her new uniform, she realized that wearing her hat while working would look ridiculous. As much as she wanted to keep it on, it wasn't practical at the moment.

The mask, however...

She arrived back at the shop not 10 minutes later, and yet, Nook stood unsatisfied at the wait. He eyed her before mentioning that it looked rather fitting on her before proceeding to hand her a few potted plants. They were small, but she truly didn't trust herself to hold more than two at a time.

"Now then, let's get to work, shall we? The first thing I need you to do is plant these flowers and saplings outside of the shop. Sometimes brightening up the outside of your store is just the thing to perk up business, yes? So make sure it looks really nice out there! And let me know when you are finished, hm?"

Nodding, Marchen took first took a few of the flowers and headed outside.

Gardening. Something she actually likes. Maybe this wouldn't be so terrible a job.

In the span of a couple hours cheery flowers decorated the storefront and the tree saplings were planted behind the store. Later on, when they grew, it would serve to accent the shop.

Quite happily, she returned to the Cranny. Nook, seeing as the plants were all gone, said something about having to trust her decorating sense from under his breath.

"Well, I suppose it's time to put you to work like a real part-timer..." he said thoughtfully. (Marchen, on the other hand, was quite disappointed that what she had done was not "work".) "Ah! Maybe you can deliever a few things for me!"

Nook ran over to the register and pulled a neatly wrapped package from underneath the counter.

"Please take this to Rod. He ordered this last week, and it's finally arrived. Wouldn't want to keep a customer waiting, hm?"

Nodding, Marchen took the package and cradled it carefully in her arms. She was about to head out the door when Nook added, "And get back quickly! Don't just loaf about, nibbling grass on the side of the road!"

Taking the words to heart, she made way to where the mouse resided.

Needless to say, the laughing wouldn't stop.

"Hahaha! You're finally out of that black dress of yours, but you kept the mask?"

Slightly flustered, Marchen decided to end this quickly and pulled out the package.

"Dude! Is that piece finally here, ace?" Rod grinned as he gratefully accepted it. Nodding, Marchen turned to leave, when Rod called out, "Hey, wait, ace!"

Catiously, the girl peered over her shoulder to see him motioning for her to return. Slightly worried about Nook's last words, she wondered if it was alright to listen to him for a bit.

"I know, I know. You've got work, right, ace? I can tell be your clothes. After all, most of us started out as Nook's lackies. So I'll make this quick. When's your birthday, ace?"

Even with that mask on, the surprise on her face was pretty hard to hide because his ever famous grin was back on his face. "Well, there's a certain someone who wants to know. So? When is it?"

Pausing a moment, she stood still for a bit before putting up one finger. She closed her fist then again, put up one finger, while on the other hand she help up three.

"...1, 1, 3? 1/13? January 13?"

She nodded.

"Great! Thanks for tellin' me, ace? Now, don't you have to run back to Nook's?"

Nodding again, Marchen really did run back to the store.

"Ah, yes, welcome back!" Nook smiled, looking quite pleased and proud. "You've made short work of that delivery, haven't you, Marchen? So let's move onto the next job, then, shall we?"

He pulled out letterpaper and a pen and handed it to her.

"Your next job is to direct mail! I want you to write and send a letter to my regular customer, Elvis. Just a quick thank for patronizing my store and a notice that we're having a wonderful sale. You can send it via the post office in Town Hall. So... snap to it!"

After being booted out of the store, Marchen decided to visit the Museum. Places like that were usually quiet and it would be the perfect place to write.

(And it was only a few minutes' walk from Nook's, anyway.)

Of course, by "quiet" she didn't think she meant "empty".

A lone owl stood dejected in the middle of the lobby. As Marchen moved towards him, he perked up.

"Hoo, welcome to the Eichel Museum! We do hope you enjoy your stay. Of course, there isn't much to look at since this museum is practically empty... Thriving on donations as we do, I suppose it's only just that we can't get anyone to give us anything for free now, hoo..."

The owl began to sulk again. Marchen tried a few times to cheer him up, but her time was spent in vain. She noticed a coffee sign pointing downstairs, though, and so decided that maybe all he really needed was a nice cup of joe.

She headed down and was met with a bar like counter with a pigeon wiping down some cups. The two stared at each other, just looking with no movement whatsoever.

Then, the bird pointed with his feathers the chairs in front of him. Understanding, Marchen took a seat.

The two kept the silence before the pigeon said, in a deep but whispering voice, "Coffee is 200 bells. Would you like some?"

The girl almost nodded, but stopped midway when she realized that she had no money. She checked her pockets again, just to make sure, but sure enough, there wasn't a Bell in sight. Disappointed, she shook her, twiddling her thumbs in her lap.

Now what?

The pigeon stared a bit more at her before saying, "Then I guess that this cup is on the house."

Surprised, Marchen looked up to see him working like magic, making cup, saucer, and drink dance elegantly together. Soon, a hot cup of coffee sat in front of her.

"...Enjoy it while it's hot."

Nodded quite happily, Marchen picked it up and began to walk up the stairs, not noticing the odd eye that he was giving her.

She approached the owl with her cup of coffee. At the smell of joe, he looked up to see the girl offering him the cup.

"Are you... giving this to me?"

She nodded.

"Hoo, thank you," he said as he took the cup gratefully. He drank, careful not to scald himself, and then replaced the cup onto the saucer.

"You're such a kind girl. My name is Blathers, curator of this museum. I wish that we had more to offer you at the moment, but as I previously mentioned, this museum is empty. Most people do not think of donating to us, and so our halls are more of a museum of dust than anything. But I digress. Thank you for the drink."

Marchen took back the cup and saucer then bowed. She headed back downstairs to where the pigeon was and put the empty cup onto the counter.

"...You gave Blathers the coffee?"

She nodded.

"...I see. Thank you for returning the cup."

She also bowed to this pigeon and was about to make her way back up the stairs when he added, "Brewster."

She looked back at him and saw him still cleaning cups behind the counter. As he inspected one of them, he said, "I run the Roost. Thank you for helping Blathers. He works too hard."

...Wait, work?

With wide, panicked eyes, Marchen sat right back down at the counter and pulled out the letter paper and pen. Who did Nook want to send it to? What did he want written?

As soon as things clicked in her mind she scribbled down the letter.

_Dear Elvis,_

_Thank you for supporting Nook's Cranny. We hope you continue to patronize the store. We also wish to inform you that there is a sale going on right now, and we hope you stop by._

_-Marchen_

She jumped off of her seat and ran, sealing the letter in the envelope as she did. She was heading for Town Hall when a thought struck her.

Why didn't she just deliver it herself?

It would be much faster, after all.

Running past the Hall she headed down the slope to where his house lay, then put it in his mailbox.

Having sped her way full circle through town, Nook looked more than a little annoyed at the time it'd taken her to get back.

"That seemed to take a little too long for my liking, but it seems you've got it done. Everyone in Eichel really likes letters, so if it didn't go out, I'd be in trouble, hm? So next, I need you to deliver a carpet."

He pulled out a duffel bag that Marchen presumed contained said item. She took it carefully and slung it over her shoulder.

"I need you to deliver it to Midge. And make it snappy this time. Please. Don't think that just because I'm not watching you can go take a detour and go chatting, hm?"

Nodding, Marchen headed towards the bird's place near Town Hall.

Outside the door, she took a deep breath, steeled herself, and...

ACK!

THE PINKNESS!

Marchen really wanted nothing less than to GET OUT OF THERE ASAP, but Midge stopped her just as she reached for the door.

"Wait, I have a thank you present," she chirped happily. She went into her drawers and pulled out another duffel bag. She then pulled out a neatly folded carpet, and packed it into the current duffel bag that the girl was using.

"This is kind of old, but you can use it as you get settled in, tweedledee. Flooring and wallpaper is important to the atmosphere of your house, after all, unless you want the atmosphere to be 'boring'."

Marchen bowed in thanks and ran out of that house.

No matter how much Nook paid her, she was _never_ going to get used to pink in huge amounts.

Marchen was suddenly struck with a thought.

What if her present was pink?

What would she do then? She'd feel so guilty if she threw it away but she didn't want to use it but there was nothing to dislike about Midge besides the color and wasn't it discrimination to judge on the outside because it was the inside that counts and...

She somehow made it home. Eyeing the duffel bag, she decided there was only one way to find out.

Quickly, she made her way in. Marchen then unzipped the bag and spread her new flooring out.

She couldn't believe her eyes.

It was a regal (_blue_) rug met her eyes. It seemed to suit the room better than the opulent rug had before.

Smiling slightly, she got to work folding the old rug and placing it in the cardboard box.

...Right. Work.

Sighing, she headed back to Nook's, preparing for a scolding.

However, he just seemed so happy, welcoming her back and praising her, "getting the knack of 'working for a living'." Not what she'd expected, but it wasn't right to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Anyway," Nook continued from his rant, "next I need you to deliver this watering can to Elvis. Oh! And don't go around using my customers things like their your own when you should be delivering them. If you want one, you've got to buy one, yes?"

Nodding, Marchen headed back to Little Fantasy, tool in hand.

She knocked on the door three times before the lion finally opened up the door. He blinked a couple of times.

"You... look different," Elvis said lamely.

Marchen merely nodded her head.

"You're not dressed in black. Or wearing a hat."

Again, a nod.

"And yet, you're still wearing your mask?"

No response this time. Elvis waited a few minutes before speaking again.

"What are you doing here, unh-huhn?"

She held up the watering can between them, finding herself not able to look him in the eye. He quietly took the tool before setting it aside, looking at her thoughtfully all the while.

As she turned to leave, he called out, "Is your name Marchen?"

She turned right back around and nodded.

"So you're the one who wrote this letter, unh-huhn?" he said, holding up the decorative piece of paper that Marchen had folded into the envelope in her earlier job. Recognizing her handwriting, she nodded again. Elvis smiled a bit before bursting out into chuckles.

"You've said more in this letter than you have in your entire time in Eichel!" he laughed. Blushing slightly, Marchen frowned under her mask.

"Now, now, no reason to be embarrassed. Everyone here loves getting letters. We like to show off how popular we are with the amount of letters we get. So make sure to write me lots of letters, unh-huhn? Ah, but don't write anything too personal. After all, letters _are_ for showing off."

Nodding, Marchen waved goodbye and walked back to Nook's.

"Welcome back! Good job! Yes, yes, let's see... Your next job will be... I know! I just remembered! Do you know the bulletin board in front of Town Hall?"

No, she did not.

"Very good! Yes, well, I'd like you to write an ad on for the shop on that very bulletin board! I'll leave the wording up to you, but make sure it's something snazzy that the young kids will like. And remember, lots of people will see it, so don't write anything to make us look bad!"

Nodding, Marchen set out for the bulletin board. Once there, she stood in front of it, thinking for a while.

Finally she decided to write:

_If you can raed tihs, you may jsut be amewose egunoh to potrazine Tom Nook's!_

_Are you asemowe enugoh?_

Not anything that attractive, but Nook _did_ trust her...

Smiling, she put the notice onto the bulletin board and headed back to the shop, wondering if anyone would be able to read that.

"Ah, Marchen. Welcome back. Did you write the message?"

In response to her nod, Nook clapped his hands together and smiled. "Yes, yes! Very good job. So that means... You're done! That's all the odd jobs I had laying around today. You've earned 1,400 bells today, so I'll just take that off your mortgage. You're free to return the uniform, if you'd like."

Marchen thought for a moment, before shaking her head.

"Ah, you'd like to keep it? It does fit you quite nicely, hm?"

Nodding, she also pointed to the register and then to herself.

Nook quickly got the message.

"...You'd still like to work here?"

Nod.

"You'll only be able to work on days when I've out of store jobs like delivering and such. You understand, hm?"

Nod.

"You won't be paid on days you don't work, yes?"

Nod.

"For how long is your employment?"

She made a triangle and a square in the air with her hands.

"I see... Hm... What hours are good for you?"

She then started to scribble her finger on the palm of her other hand, as if writing something. Understanding, Nook handed her a piece of paper and another pen.

_6 to 10 P.M., weekdays, is good._

"Great! Then consider yourself hired, Marchen! By the way, how did you find the town, hm? Enjoyable?"

Smiling, she nodded.

_It's a really cheerful place._

"Indeed. It's quite peaceful here, isn't it?"

_Yes._

"Well, I'll leave you to your own devices, then, yes?"

Nodding quite gratefully, she left and headed home. She went straight to the attic and plopped right into bed, not even bother to snuggle under the covers.

Marchen was soon off in Dreamland, quite satisfied with life.

* * *

><p>[Timeline]<em> Same day as last chapter<em>

[Actual game play]_ Friday, August 26th, 2011_

_Explanations:_

[Marchen keeping her job] _Actually, the whole money system of AC doesn't make sense to me. So Nook will buy your things (so Bells go N-P), then the player will spend the money at either Nook's (P-N), for their mortgage (again, P-N), or at another store, in which case he loses money. At the very least, if Marchen makes Bells from selling things to Nook to get whatever she wants and works part-time to pay off her debt, that makes more sense to me than the gameplay._

[Notice]_ I thought it would be boring to write a normal ad, so I scrambled the letters. :P_

[Italic speech (in story)] _That would be Marchen writing. She had this whole story thing about why she can't (won't?) talk, but I decided to just keep it open. Anyway, she doesn't have quotes around her writing so just thought that it'd be confusing. There's still italic emphasis, too... maybe I should switch to bold? Hahaha._


End file.
